Carryover tube cleaning mini-brush

ABSTRACT

A mini-brush for use in cleaning and clearing obstacles from within a carryover tube in a furnace. The brush having a handle coupled to a first end of a flexible shaft, a guide point coupled to a second end of the flexible shaft, and a plurality of bristles coupled along a length of the flexible shaft, the plurality of bristles having a first side located adjacent to the guide point and extending along the flexible shaft towards the handle. The flexible shaft is a stranded cable wire permitting the guide point and the bristles to navigate a 90 degree corner through a tube

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates in general to a method and article of manufacture for a carryover tube mini-brush.

BACKGROUND

Heating technicians are responsible for maintaining furnaces and heating systems to keep them in efficient operating condition. One of the more significant tasks for these technicians is to keep the components of a furnace clean and free of blockages and debris on a periodic basis. For commercial systems, this maintenance may significantly increase operating efficiencies of these furnaces as well as prevent operating failures. Avoiding these problems may reduce or eliminate damage to the furnaces, operating downtime for the furnaces, and operating costs for the owners and landlords.

One particular component that is in need of routine maintenance is a carryover tube in the furnaces that is used to pass an ignition spark or flame from its ignition source to the furnace burners when the furnace is being activated for use. The ignition spark is typically generated at a source device located at one end of the carryover tube and one or more furnace burners are located along the length, or at the opposite end of the carryover tune. The ignition spark is aligned with one end of the carryover tube to permit the spark at as an ignition source for the burners when they have their fuel released to generate heat in the furnace.

One maintenance task that needs to be performed is to keep the interior of the carryover tube clean and clear of obstructions. These carryover tubes are known to provide a place for insects and spiders to lay their eggs and create places to reside. These insects and their uses can create an obstruction within the carryover tube which prevents the ignition spark to pass through the tube to ignite the burners. An article that assists technicians in clearing and cleaning these carryover tubes needed that has not been available for use in performing the maintenance.

The present invention attempts to address the existing limitations in existing methods to maintain and clean the carryover tubes in heating system according to the principles and example embodiments disclosed herein.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention, the above and other problems are solved by providing an article of manufacture that assists in cleaning within a carryover tube and clear any obstructions that are found within operating furnaces.

In one embodiment, the present invention is a brush having a handle coupled to a first end of a flexible shaft, a guide point coupled to a second end of the flexible shaft, and a plurality of bristles coupled along a length of the flexible shaft, the plurality of bristles having a first side located adjacent to the guide point and extending along the flexible shaft towards the handle.

The great utility of the invention is that that a land owner and landlord can rely on the functionality a furnace ignition system through simple and inexpensive maintenance around the year without concern of an outage that could cause a portion of the business to come to a standstill or could result in a breach of security or safety to tenants and users of the building.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features that are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout:

FIG. 1 represents one potential embodiment of a mini brush used in cleaning a carryover tube within a furnace according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates another potential embodiment of a mini brush used in cleaning a carryover tube within a furnace according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This application relates in general to a method and article of manufacture for providing an article for manufacture such as a mini-brush on a flexible shaft capable of being passed through a carryover tube to clean and clear obstructions therein.

Various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. Reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the invention, which is limited only by the scope of the claims attached hereto. Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the claimed invention.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It further will be understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and “including” specify the presence of stated features, steps, or components but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, or components. It also should be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions and acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality and acts involved.

In general, the present disclosure relates to an article for manufacture such as a mini-brush on a flexible shaft capable of being passed through a carryover tube to clean and clear obstructions therein. These carryover tubes may contain any number of shapes and lengths that require any cleaning device to be flexible enough to pass through these different carryover tubes and any related structures while performing maintenance tasks.

To better understand the present invention, FIG. 1 represents one potential embodiment a furnace system 200 having one or more burners 112 a-112 b used to as sources of heating. The furnace typically possess as an ignition device 113 to generate an ignition spark and or ignition flame to light the burners 112 a-112 b. The ignition device 113 is aligned at one end of a carryover tube 111 such that the ignition spark may pass through the tube 111 to ignite the burners 112 a-112 b.

During cleaning, a mini-brush 100 is used to clean and clear the inside of the carryover tube 111. A technician inserts one end of the mini-brush 100 containing a guide point 104 into the carryover tube 111 and pushes the bristles 103 of the mini-brush 100 the length of the carryover tube 111. The mini-brush 100 uses a flexible shaft 102 push the bristles 103 into the carryover tube 111 by pushing a handle 101 on the opposite end of the mini-brush 100 towards the tube. The flexible shaft 102 needs to be flexible enough the permit the bristles 103 navigate any changes on shape as the bristles 103 transits the length of the carry over tube 111. The flexible shaft must also be rigid enough to provide a directed force through the carryover tube 111 using the handle 101 of the mini-brush 100. A service technician moves the bristles 103 back and forth through the length of the carryover tube 111 as necessary to push all debris out of the carryover tube 111.

With reference to FIG. 2, an exemplary system for implementing the invention includes a mini-brush 200 constructed from a handle 201, a flexible shaft 202, bristles 203, and a guide point 204. In a preferred embodiment, the mini-brush has an overall length of 27 inches This length permits the bristles 203 to transit the length of most carryover tubes 111. Other lengths may also be used for cleaning of other objects.

At a first end of the mini-brush 200, a handle 201 is located to permit a technician to push the bristles 203 through the carryover tube 111. In a preferred embodiment, the handle 201 is 3 inches in length and shaped as a cylinder to permit the technicians can grasp the handle in one hand. Other shapes for handles that make maintaining a grip on the handle may also be used.

The handle 201 is physically coupled to a first end of the flexible shaft 202. In a preferred embodiment is 24 inches long, including the space holding the bristles 203 and the guide point 204. The flexible shaft 202 may be constructed using a 1/16 inch diameter stranded cable wire. The stranded cable wire is flexible enough to permit the bristles 203 and guide point 204 to pass through bends in a carryover tube 111 and related components. The stranded cable wire is also rigid enough for a force be transmitted along the path of the flexible shaft 202 when the technician applies pressure via the handle 201. When a force is transmitted along the flexible shaft 202, the bristles 203 may dislodge and remove any debris and obstacles that create obstructions in the carryover tube 111. The flexible shaft is a stranded cable wire permitting the guide point and the bristles to navigate a 90 degree corner through a tube.

In the preferred embodiment, the bristles 203 have I height of ⅜ of an inch and a length of at least 1¾ inches in length. The bristles 203 are located adjacent to the guide point 204 at the second end of the flexible shaft. The guide point 204 is preferably a small spherical ball attached to the second end of the flexible shaft 202, The guide point provides a smooth entry object which can guide the mini-brush 100 through a carryover tube 111 before the bristles 203 engage any obstacles found within the tube.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that alternate sized bristles 203 may be used to operate in tubes having different diameters as needed. Both the height and the length of the bristles 203 may be greater than the preferred embodiment for use in tubes having larger diameters. Similarly, the bristles 203 may be smaller than the preferred embodiment for use in tubes having a smaller diameter.

While the above embodiments of the present invention describe an article for manufacture such as a mini-brush on a flexible shaft capable of being passed through a carryover tube to clean and clear obstructions therein, one skilled in the are will recognize that the use various sized brush bristles and flexible shaft material may be used with the present invention as claimed. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, each numerical value and range should be interpreted as being approximate as if the word “about” or “approximately” preceded the value or range.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight, percent, ratio, reaction conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about,” whether or not the term “about” is present. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present disclosure. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the disclosure are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in the testing measurements.

It will be further understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain embodiments of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from embodiments of the invention encompassed by the following claims.

In this specification including any claims, the term “each” may be used to refer to one or more specified characteristics of a plurality of previously recited elements or steps. When used with the open-ended term “comprising,” the recitation of the term “each” does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or steps. Thus, it will be understood that an apparatus may have additional, unrecited elements and a method may have additional, unrecited steps, where the additional, unrecited elements or steps do not have the one or more specified characteristics. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A brush comprising: a handle coupled to a first end of a flexible shaft; a guide point coupled to a second end of the flexible shaft; and a plurality of bristles coupled along a length of the flexible shaft, the plurality of bristles having a first side located adjacent to the guide point and extending along the flexible shaft towards the handle.
 2. The brush according to claim 1, wherein the handle is a cylinder having a length of at least three inches.
 3. The brush according to claim 2, wherein the handle is contoured to aid its being gripped for use.
 4. The brush according to claim 1, wherein the guide point is a small spherical ball attached to the second end of the flexible shaft.
 5. The brush according to claim 1, wherein the flexible shaft is a stranded cable wire permitting the guide point and the bristles to navigate a 90 degree corner through a tube.
 6. The brush according to claim 5, wherein the flexible shaft is a stranded cable wire having a diameter of at least a 1/16 of an inch. 